Banking

Handling Occasional Expenses: What Works For Me

07.07.2010 by Jonathan 7 comments

Seven years ago, I launched out into the self-employment world and discovered quickly the highs and the lows. Budgeting became an absolute essential. One area that has plagued me for a long time is handling the occasional expenses that I did not plan for ahead of time…

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$8000 Homebuyer’s Tax Credit Extended Until September

06.29.2010 by Bob 8 comments

This is a tricky one. I got to take advantage of the $8000 tax credit for home buyers when it was first issued. Although I wasn’t going to turn down the $8000 tax credit that the government gave me, I see that there are going to be some longer-term negative effects of a program like this.

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Perkstreet Debit Card Offering 5% Cash Back

06.23.2010 by Bob 6 comments

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago we signed up for the Perkstreet Financial cash-back debit card. We were lured in by the 2% cashback rewards offer that they are currently running. But to my pleasant surprise I just got an email from them explaining the 5% cashback promo that they are running for the rest of June and July of this year…

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Bank On Yourself | Review

06.12.2010 by Guest 2 comments

The book was written to those who are tired of gambling with their financial future but instead would like a secure and predictable financial future. It reveals the strategy for taking back control of one’s financial future that Wall Street, banks, and credit card companies don’t want people to know…

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ING Direct ATM Location Finder App

06.06.2010 by Bob 3 comments

Thankfully ING just released an app that helps you find the nearest ING ATM using GPS satelites or by typing in an address… According to ING: It’s available now for: iPhone® BlackBerry® Android™

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5 Ways To Save Money With Online Banks

06.02.2010 by Craig Ford 6 comments

When the idea of online banking was first introduced, I was skeptical. How, I thought, could that ever be safe? While I’m not an expert on password security and all things technical online, I can confidently say that I’ve been banking online for nearly a decade without a single issue with ID theft, fraud, or any form…

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Finding A Bank Without Overdraft Fees

04.23.2010 by Guest 0 comments

Bank of America is very sneaky with overdraft fee charges. For example, recently my account was low on funds, but I knew how much I had in my account that day since I had just checked it online. Then I went to work that day and used my debit card for a few different transactions. [...]

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How to Handle Overdrawing Your Checking Account

03.12.2010 by Jason Price 10 comments

Have you overdrawn your checking account before? You log into your checking account online and see big red numbers with a negative sign. It’s your account balance and you’ve overdrawn! But you’re a good money manager, right? You have your finances in order. How could this have happened? No one really wants to be in this particular situation, especially, since most banks charge fees for every transaction overdrawn. Ouch! You make such a mistake and the bank will make you pay for it.

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Information About The New Credit Card Laws | Roundup

02.24.2010 by Bob 6 comments

So in case you haven’t heard about it in the news, as of February 22 (Monday) the new credit card laws (the CARD act) went into effect. The idea behind it was to protect consumers, which I guess it will in some cases, but the credit card industry is a pretty big one that will find a way to do what they want to do. These are just some of what is/will be happening…

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New Law on Bank Overdraft Fees & The “Courtesy” Overdraft Protection

01.20.2010 by Bob 60 comments

Recently Consumer Reports released an article discussing the new Federal law pertaining to banks and their overdraft services. Not sure if the motivation for the new regulation was customers like the one above, but I think it is probably a good thing.

Believe it or not, that $35 fee that the bank charges you when you overdraw your account is actually a “service” that your bank is offering you. They care so much about your well being that they want you to be able to buy that Snickers bar without being told that you don’t have the money in your account. And then they charge you $35 when you spend 50 cents more than you have in your account…